Best Western International, Inc claims to be the world's largest hotel chain, with over 4,000 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The Phoenix-based chain operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free Wi-Fi access hotspots in its hotels. Since year 2002 Best Western International created an upscale brand for some properties located in Europe and Asia: "Best Western Premier".

Unlike other chains, which are often a mix of company-owned and franchised units, each Best Western hotel is an independently owned and operated franchise.

Best Western charges a rate that is based on an initial cost plus a fee for each additional room. Best Western also publishes a list of standards that each hotel needs to maintain.

Key facts about Best Western group:

Based on distribution and number of locations, Best Western International is the largest hotel company operating under a single brand name with 4,200* independently owned and operated hotels.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Best Western employs 1076 people and offers 316,095 quality guest rooms located in 80* countries and territories worldwide.

The independent advantage offered through Best Western has been a cornerstone in U.S. markets for 61 years and in Europe for 31 years.

All Best Western hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean offer free high-speed Internet access to guests as of year-end 2004.

In April 2006, Best Western renewed its partnership with NASCAR for another three years, extending its role as the sport's Official Hotel through the 2009 season. This unique sponsorship helps generate new consumer and business-to-business opportunities for the company.

Best Western International is the most unique brand in the industry. Nowhere else will you find hotels that were formerly castles built by Napoleon or hotels consisting of homes for rent.

American Automobile Association and Canadian Automobile Association rate 90 percent of Best Western hotels in the US and Canada; more than 1,000 of these properties receive a three-diamond rating.

More than 90 percent of our hotels in Europe have three or four-star ratings.

Recently, Best Western added Premier hotels in Finland, Ireland and India.

Best Western offers members the unique advantage of retaining their independence while providing the benefits of a full-service, international lodging affiliation offering a global reservations system, marketing, advertising, purchasing, training and quality standards.

Best Western was one of the first lodging brands to provide booking capabilities to Internet users around the world when the hospitality giant added this service on Dec. 19, 1995. On average, bestwestern.com has been booking $1 million in revenue per day for the hotel chain since January 2005.